WASHINGTON — Air Force 2 was diverted from its scheduled flight plan on Tuesday as rain drenched the D.C. area all day.
According to a statement from Kirsten Allen, press secretary to the vice president, the plane was traveling back from Atlanta, Georgia, and was scheduled to land at Joint Base Andrews.
The plane was reportedly diverted to Dulles International Airport after the plane encountered a wind shear, a source familiar with what happened told WUSA9.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance.
"It can occur either horizontally or vertically and is more often associated with strong temperatures or density gradients," the FAA website explains. "Wind shear can occur at high or low altitude."
While the weather phenomenon can happen at many levels, Airbus Safety Magazine says "it is most dangerous at the lower levels, as a sudden loss of airspeed and altitude can occur."
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